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The differences between administrative assistants and executive assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an administrative assistant, becoming an executive assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an executive assistant has an average salary of $50,539, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for an administrative assistant include customer service, data entry and powerpoint. The most important skills for an executive assistant are powerpoint, customer service, and phone calls.
| Administrative Assistant | Executive Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,945 | $50,539 |
| Hourly rate | $16.80 | $24.30 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 65,769 | 93,116 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.14 | 4.4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 50 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.
Executive assistants are employees who are assigned to work under the supervision of company executives. They manage the activities of the executives they are assigned to by manning the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, setting meetings, ensuring that the executives are familiar with their schedule for the day, and taking note of any deliverable that may be needed. They are also responsible for taking care of any document or paperwork that the executive needs, as well as preparing presentation materials or briefers for meetings. Executive assistants are also usually exposed to actual company operations to further understand how the business works and to be of better help to the executive.
Administrative assistants and executive assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Assistant | Executive Assistant | |
| Average salary | $34,945 | $50,539 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $46,000 | Between $35,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Westfield State University | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an administrative assistant and an executive assistant in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Assistant | Executive Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative assistants' and executive assistants' demographics:
| Administrative Assistant | Executive Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 10% |